Entries tagged with links: local

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Flashmob!

There was a Christmas-y ukulele flashmob at the local Hy-Vee grocery store in the town where my sister lives, on Monday. It's pretty awesome.

( Embedded vid behind the cut! )

Ooh! Apparently the group who did the flashmob, Ukulele Macomb meets every Saturday morning for ukulele-ness and jam sessions on Tuesday nights, and are planning their first Ukulele Festival on June 7-8 this coming year! :D

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Daily Ukulele: Japan breaks ukulele world record!

Ukulele players in Japan set record for largest ensemble

A new world record for the largest ukulele ensemble has been set in Japan.

More than 2,000 strummers gathered in Yokohama, Japan's second-largest city, to trump the previous record set in Sweden.

The group were watched by Guinness World Records officials, AFP news agency said, and played a song called Aloha Mahalo A Hui Ho, written by a Hawaii-born former sumo wrestler.

They set the record during Japan's "Ukulele Picnic Week."

The diminutive guitar-shaped instrument originated from Hawaii, where it is also synonymous with hula dancing.

The previous record was set in August last year by 1,547 uke-wielding Swedes in Helsingborg.

You can see photos from a Chicago record-breaking attempt that I participated in earlier this summer!

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Daily Ukulele: A cross-section of players

The Los Angeles Times has a fun little profile of the different kinds of people who pick up the ukulele. Feel like answering any of the questions yourself? Take to the comments!

How long have you been playing ukulele?

What inspired you to first pick it up?

What's your favorite song to play?

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Daily Ukulele: "It's like the Mormon Tabernacle Ukulele Choir."

Making documentaries about ukulele clubs: the next big thing? Filmmaker Nina Koocher is making a movie about the Santa Cruz (Ca.) Ukulele Club, and it looks like it's going to be something else. You can lean more about Under the Boardwalk: A Ukulele Love Story here; the trailer is below.

Under the Boardwalk, A Ukulele Love Story tells the story of how a small house party in an out of the way town in California grows into the biggest ukulele club in the world. It is also the story of how a small instrument makes a long journey from Portugal to Hawaii to the mainland, lands in people’s hearts, and creates a uniquely Hawaiian-American musical tradition that is currently experiencing a world wide revival.

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Another world record attempt, if you're in the Chicago area!

Hey all! I don't know how many of you are in the Chicago area, but the first ever Festival of Aloha is holding an attempt at breaking Sweden's world record for most ukulele players performing a continuous piece for five minutes in one place this Saturday in Lincoln Square (just off the Western Brown Line stop).

On a side note, the Old Town School of Folk Music is having a sale on Mahalo ukuleles (the really colorful ones) -- only $25 each!

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Daily Ukulele: Who likes world records?

If you're not doing anything next weekend, Jake Shimabukuro and a bunch of other people are going to attempt to break a world record in Honolulu. You know, no big.

Happy Friday, all! Hope you have great weekends. <3

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Daily Ukulele: This is hardcore.

Rebecca Lowry, Woman playing machine gun ukulele, http://journalstar.com/entertainment/music/ukulele-love-the-island-instrument-is-becoming-a-hit-on/article_d2638ed9-b748-5db7-bb5b-49a499101eb3.html

Rebecca Lowry of the Lincoln, Nebraska-based All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, and her appropriately machine gun-shaped custom ukulele.

On a side note, I need some volunteers! I'm going to be taking a vacation from April 5 through April 15, and I won't have regular access to the internet. Would anyone be willing to do a Daily Ukulele post for those few chunks of days? More than one person is certainly welcome to do so, if you want to arrange that among yourselves in the comments. Thanks!

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Daily Ukulele: This is awesome. No other words. This is just awesome.

Courtesy of (I believe)

strandedinshenzhen, the Macau Ukulele Center!

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Daily Ukulele: "Ulysses" by Erica Dreisbach

An original to round out the week! I found out about Erica Dreisbach from a mutual friend (who happens to live in Berlin); she was giving a concert in Chicago, and would I be interested? Turns out attending that concert was a really, really good idea. Here's a version of my favorite of her songs from that night, called "Ulysses" and, shockingly, about Odysseus (and more!). Happy Friday, guys!

She's giving a concert in Chicago on April 11 that I can't make, but I'd thoroughly recommend anyone who can checking it out!

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Daily Ukulele: Sweet Georgia Brown

Beautiful day for a ukulele flashmob, isn't it? This was the scene in Montreal on September 10, 2011. The song is "Sweet Georgia Brown," a jazz standard and pop tune (says Wikipedia) written in 1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard (music) and Kenneth Casey (lyrics).

Current Mood: curious

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Ukulele Festivals!

I caught myself thinking, this morning, "what's more fun that playing an instrument so joyous as a ukulele? Surrounding yourself with other people who take joy in its delightful sound!"

So, in a fit of curiosity, I went looking for ukulele festivals. Here are some I found! If you know of any others, please comment and share the info!

The 42nd Annual Oahu Ukulele Festival, Sunday, July 22nd, 2012 - Waikiki, Oahu

The Mighty MO Ukulele Fest, Friday-Sunday, July 20th-22nd, 2012 - New Haven, Missouri

Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway, Friday-Sunday, November 2nd-4th, Tampa Bay, Florida

New York Uke Fest 2012, Friday-Sunday, June 7th-10th, New York City, New York

Lone Star Ukulele Festival, Friday and Saturday, June 1st and 2nd, ????, ???? (They seriously say nothing about their location on their site.)

Ukulele Festival of Northern California, Sunday, April 1st, Hayward, California

Reno Ukulele Festival, Thursday-Sunday, March 29th-April 1st, Sparks, Nevada

Ukulele Festival of Great Britain, Friday-Sunday, June 1st-3rd, Cheltenham, England

Ukulele Boudoir Festival, Saturday, June 3rd.... there's actually no more information yet on this one. Somewhere in France?

Cairns Ukulele Festival, Friday, June 22nd, Thursday-Sunday, July 8th, Cairns, Queensland, Australia

If you know of any others, please comment and share the joy!

Current Mood: totally charmed

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Daily Ukulele: Need something fun to do in Duluth, Minnesota?

Frankly, I think this is darling!

03/03/2012 · 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM · (218) 733-7543 · Website

How did anyone think up SPAM, Scotch tape, Rollerblades, kitty litter, and waterskis? Come to the Duluth Children's Museum to find out! MN AHA!, an educational comedy presented by Twin Cities-based puppetry group Z Puppets Rosenschnoz will have children and adults alike laughing and learning with Dr. Historificus and his cat Walter Mondale. Learn the Minnesota formula for genius in a puppet and ukulele revue of great Minnesota inventions!

Admission Information: Free and Open to the Public

Location:
Duluth Children's Museum (Depot Great Hall)
506 W Michigan Street
Duluth, MN 55802

Any puppet-and-ukulele revues coming to a stage near you? Always feel free to share events and performances here!

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Daily Ukulele: London calling, for serious

I need to get to London for a lot of reasons, but Duke of Uke has just become one of them.